Pixel circuit and driving method thereof

Abstract

A method for driving a display device includes driving a first pixel circuit based on first and second fields of a frame, and driving a second pixel circuit based on first and second fields of the frame. The first field of the first pixel circuit overlaps the second field of the second pixel circuit. The second field of the first pixel circuit overlaps the first field of the second pixel circuit. Operations performed in the first field include storing a gray scale data voltage, and operations performed in the second field include supplying an amount of current to a light emitter based on the stored gray scale data voltage. The first and second pixel circuits are in adjacent rows of the display device.

What is claimed is: 
     
       1. A method of driving a display device, the method comprising:
 driving a first pixel circuit and a second pixel circuit based on a frame which includes a first field and a second field, the first field of the first pixel circuit overlapping the second field of the second pixel circuit, and the second field of the first pixel circuit overlapping the first field of the second pixel circuit, wherein: 
 operations performed during the first field include: 
 (a) supplying an initialization voltage to a gate electrode of a first transistor by turning on a fourth transistor, 
 (b) supplying a gray scale data voltage to a data line, the gray scale data voltage applied to the gate electrode of the first transistor by turning on a second transistor, and 
 (c) blocking supply of a power supply voltage to an emission element by turning off a third transistor, 
 operations performed during the second field include: 
 (d) supplying the power supply voltage to the data line by turning on the third transistor, the emission element coupled to the data line to emit light based on the power supply voltage, wherein the first and second pixel circuits are in different rows, wherein the second transistor of a (N)th pixel circuit in an (N)th numbered row and the fourth transistor of a (N+2)th pixel circuit in (N+2)th numbered row are simultaneously controlled to be turned on, wherein, when the second transistor of the (N)th pixel circuit and the fourth transistor of the (N+2)th pixel circuit are simultaneously turned on, the supplying the gray scale data voltage to the gate electrode of the first transistor of the (N)th pixel circuit by turning on the second transistor and the supplying the initialization voltage to the gate electrode of the first transistor of the (N+2)th pixel circuit by turning on the fourth transistor of the (N+2)th pixel circuit are executed at the same time. 
 
     
     
       2. The method as claimed in  claim 1 , wherein:
 each of the first and second pixel circuits include a capacitive element connected between the gate electrode of the first transistor and the initialization voltage, 
 the initialization voltage includes a first initialization voltage supplied in the first field and a second initialization voltage supplied in the second field, and 
 the method further comprises changing the second initialization voltage to vary a potential of the gate electrode of the first transistor connected to the capacitive element, to reduce an amount of current flowing through the first transistor. 
 
     
     
       3. The method as claimed in  claim 2 , wherein:
 the first pixel circuit is in an odd-numbered row, and 
 the second pixel circuit in an even-numbered row. 
 
     
     
       4. A method of driving a display device, the method comprising:
 driving a first pixel circuit and a second pixel circuit based on a frame which includes a first field and a second field, the first field of the first pixel circuit overlapping the second field of the second pixel circuit, and the second field of the first pixel circuit overlapping the first field of the second pixel circuit, wherein:
 operations performed during the first field include: 
 (a) supplying an initialization voltage to a gate electrode of a first transistor by turning on a fourth transistor, 
 (b) supplying a gray scale data voltage to a data line, the gray scale data voltage applied to the gate electrode of the first transistor by turning on a second transistor, and 
 (c) controlling a first power supply voltage of a first state to place an emission element in a non-emission state, and 
 operations performed during the second field include: 
 (d) supplying a second power supply voltage to the data line, and 
 (e) controlling the first power supply voltage of in a second state to place the emission element in an emission state, wherein the first and second pixel circuits are in different rows, wherein the second transistor of a (N)th pixel circuit in an (N)th numbered row and the fourth transistor of a (N+2)th pixel circuit in (N+2)th numbered row are simultaneously controlled to be turned on, wherein, when the second transistor of the (N)th pixel circuit and the fourth transistor of the (N+2)th pixel circuit are simultaneously turned on, the supplying the gray scale data voltage to the gate electrode of the first transistor of the (N)th pixel circuit by turning on the second transistor and the supplying the initialization voltage to the gate electrode of the first transistor of the (N+2)th pixel circuit by turning on the fourth transistor of the (N+2)th pixel circuit are executed at the same time. 
 
 
     
     
       5. The method as claimed in  claim 4 , wherein:
 each of the first and second pixel circuits include a capacitive element connected between the gate electrode of the first transistor and the initialization voltage. 
 the initialization voltage includes a first initialization voltage supplied during the first field and a second initialization voltage supplied during the second field, and 
 the method further comprises changing a voltage of the second initialization voltage to vary a potential of the gate electrode of the first transistor connected to the capacitive element, to reduce an amount of current flowing through the first transistor. 
 
     
     
       6. The method as claimed in  claim 5 , wherein:
 the first pixel circuit is in an odd-numbered row, and 
 the second pixel circuit is in an even-numbered row. 
 
     
     
       7. A method of driving a display device, the method comprising:
 driving a first pixel circuit based on first and second fields of a frame; and 
 driving a second pixel circuit based on the first and second fields of the frame, the first field of the first pixel circuit overlapping the second field of the second pixel circuit, and the second field of the first pixel circuit overlapping the first field of the second pixel circuit, wherein operations performed in the first field include supplying an initialization voltage, compensating a threshold voltage, and storing a gray scale data voltage, wherein operations performed in the second field include supplying an amount of current to a light emitter based on the stored gray scale data voltage, and wherein the first and second pixel circuits are in different rows, wherein when a (N)th pixel circuit in an (N)th numbered row is driven by the first field and the threshold voltage of the (N)th pixel circuit is compensated, the initialization voltage is supplied to a (N+2)th pixel circuit in an (N+2)th numbered row. 
 
     
     
       8. The method as claimed in  claim 7 , wherein:
 the first pixel circuit is in an odd row, and 
 the second pixel circuit is in an even row. 
 
     
     
       9. The method as claimed in  claim 7 , wherein:
 operations performed in the first field include supplying the gray scale data voltage to a data line, and 
 operations performed in the second field include supplying a power source voltage to the data line. 
 
     
     
       10. The method as claimed in  claim 9 , wherein the data voltage is supplied to the data line based on a first gate control signal, and the power source voltage is supplied to the data line based on a second gate control voltage. 
     
     
       11. The method as claimed in  claim 9 , wherein:
 the gray scale data voltage is supplied to the data line of the first pixel circuit in the first field when the power supply voltage is supplied to the data line of the second pixel circuit the second field, and 
 the gray scale data voltage is supplied to the data line of the second pixel circuit in the first field when the power supply voltage is supplied to a data line of the first pixel circuit the second field. 
 
     
     
       12. An apparatus, comprising:
 a first switching circuit to selectively output a first gray scale data voltage or a first power source voltage to a first pixel circuit in odd-numbered rows; and 
 a second switching circuit to selectively output second gray scale data voltage or the first power source voltage to a second pixel circuit in even-numbered rows, wherein: 
 the first and second pixel circuits are in adjacent rows; 
 the first switching circuit is to output the first gray scale data voltage to the first pixel circuit in a first field while the second switching circuit is to output the first power source voltage to the second pixel circuit in a second field, 
 the second switching circuit is to output the second gray scale data voltage to the second pixel circuit in the first field while the first switching circuit is to output the first power source voltage to the first pixel circuit in the second field, wherein the first field include supplying an initialization voltage, compensating a threshold voltage and storing a gray scale data voltage, 
 wherein the second field include supplying an amount of current to a light emitter based on the stored gray scale data voltage, and 
 wherein when a (N)th pixel circuit in an (N)th numbered row is driven by the first field and the threshold voltage of the (N)th pixel circuit is compensated, the initialization voltage is supplied to a (N+2)th pixel circuit in an (N+2)th numbered row. 
 
     
     
       13. The apparatus as claimed in  claim 12 , wherein the first switching circuit outputs the first gray scale data voltage and the second switching circuit outputs the first power source voltage based on a first control signal. 
     
     
       14. The apparatus as claimed in  claim 12 , wherein the first switching circuit outputs the first power source voltage and the second switching circuit outputs the second gray scale data voltage based on a second control signal. 
     
     
       15. The apparatus as claimed in  12 , wherein:
 the first pixel circuit is in a light emission state while the second pixel circuit is in a light non-emission state, and 
 the first pixel circuit is in a light non-emission state when the second pixel circuit is in a light emission state. 
 
     
     
       16. The apparatus as claimed in  claim 12 , wherein each of the first pixel circuit and the second pixel circuit is placed in a light emission state based on a change in potential of a second power voltage source. 
     
     
       17. The apparatus as claimed in  claim 12 , wherein:
 the first pixel circuit is to receive a first initialization voltage, and 
 the second pixel circuit is to receive a second initialization voltage different from the first initialization voltage, the first and second initialization voltages to reset respective ones of the first and second pixel circuits. 
 
     
     
       18. The apparatus as claimed in  claim 12 , wherein the first and second pixel circuits are in a same column. 
     
     
       19. The apparatus as claimed in  claim 12 , further comprising:
 a data driver including the first and second switching circuits. 
 
     
     
       20. The apparatus as claimed in  12 , wherein a driving transistor of each of the first and second pixel circuits is placed in a diode-connected state based on respective gray scale data voltages.